La casa de Margarita de Austria y la adulteración del paradigma (1599-1611)

Six years after the death of Queen Margaret of Austria (1584-1611), only wife of Philip III, royal chaplain Diego de Guzmán published in Madrid Reyna católica: vida y muerte de D. Margarita de Austria. Its marked hagiographic character consecrated the deceased as a paradigm of the Queen consort and as a figure to be emulated in terms of female conduct. Our proposal is to analyze, by means of printed, literary or news sources, as well as manuscripts, the existence of models or anti-models present in the heart of her House. Let us not forget that, at least in theory, within the framework of the family system that governed the service of the sovereigns, the conduct of their ladies was a reflection and a competence of the monarch. Our approach seeks to reflect on the sacralization of the image of a Queen whose female palatine environment was at the centre of some of the conflicts at the court of the third Philip. By analyzing the lights and shadows of the courtly space that surrounded Margaret of Austria, we will be able to reflect on issues such as the theoretical rigidity and practical flexibility linked to the conduct of the female elite during the modern period, as well as the contradictions surrounding the image of this Queen, which can be seen both in the contemporary period and in the present day.